Canada is Chumpville

CBC's top story this morning is news that the boat is now tethered to the Esquimalt naval base where 500 Tamil migrants are entering Canada. Maybe not terrorists with infectious diseases, but really, how can our Canada afford this? Canada has known about this boat since mid July. So what about the report on Lankaweb.com? "Canada is a haven for the Tamil terrorists. Many hard-code Tamil Tigers operate openly in Canada, raising funds and spreading terror-ideology."

Why not Ketchikan? Why not Port Angeles? While the boat sails right past the United States, somehow it's Canada that accepts this extreme burden. It's just not burden enough that Geisebrecht, Miller, MacNeil and Collier of late, have died on the other side of the globe for Afghanistan. And while I can't go across the US Border to buy cheese, a pair of shoes and a meal at Olive Garden without my Canadian passport, apparently the best way to jump the queue is to just do it completely illegally.

Here is the best CBC reader comment thus far, from "Warhippy" writing in from Penticton, BC:
I have said all I want to say about this issue. The Canadian government has failed it's people.

I can already hear the cries of people needing a doctor in the area who are stuck waiting for days instead of hours because all of the even more overworked staff are now assisting these people with their various illness'.

I can already see the people having troubles with social assistance being pushed further through the cracks of the Canadian social development system as they get stuck waiting or denied legitimate claims for assistance as the system now has 500 more people to process.

I can absolutely feel the loathing of people who came here through the proper channels only to find out it took a boat ride and a group of people whining in the countries largest city.

The facts are pretty straight.

1. The war is over in Sri Lanka. These people have no right to claim refugee status. And if they were indeed refugees why did they not stop at one of dozens of countries along the way? In fact India has a province that is almost exclusively Tamuli in population.

2. How much will Canadians and landed citizens lose because of this? We now find ourselves having to wait while some other group of people that just got here get prefferential treatment because of a harrowing boat ride?

3. The cost. Already overworked underpaid and understaffed Hospital workers, Penal system employees. Wait longer at hospitals and see criminals pushed out faster to keep these people housed and healthy.

Probably the most insulting thing of all is we were not their first stop. Australia turned them away, they made no other stops and after milling about decided hey, Canada is easy let's go there.

Refugees don't pick their quality of life people. The Government failed us.